[sdiy] What are they?

[Colin Hinz]

 On Fri Jun 29  3:55 , KA4HJH  replied:

>> 'Allo all,
>>
>> I got this rather substancial bag of... things from an antique radio swap
>> meet.

[...]

> Could be something useful in there but watch out for those bad tantalums.
> And don't over-voltage them. They fail more easily than aluminum
> electrolytics.

The rule of thumb where I work is that it's preferable to specify the rated voltage at twice the normal working voltage, as tantalums are very unforgiving of overvoltage. And when they go, they really let you know, and the smell's hard to forget. (Hint: do you have a fire extinguisher near your workbench?)

- Colin